And this year the anti-HPV vaccination – which protects against the virus responsible for several types of cancer, including cervical cancer – is free in Romania for all children and young people between the ages of 11 and 26. Women between the ages of 27 and 45 receive 50% compensation. Between 2020 and 2024, around 22,500 Romanians were vaccinated. In the offices, family doctors explain the benefits, in the hope that more and more people will choose this form of prevention. “We are still at a low vaccination coverage rate, but it is obvious that the implementation of the vaccine compensation mechanism has significantly increased the absorption rate”says Dr. Cosmina Berbel, primary family physician.
Prevention, debated at Healthcare Forum by Adevărul
Anti-HPV vaccination is the most effective method of prevention against infection with the virus that can produce several types of cancer, including cervical. A dramatic health problem that affects thousands of women in Romania. Each year, approximately 3,800 new cases are discovered.
The vaccine can change things for the better. If done between ages 11 and 14, protection reaches 100 percent, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The topic of prevention in medicine will be debated at the Healthcare Forum 2026, and the speakers will be two important names of family medicine in Romania: Dr. Sandra Alexiu (primary family physician, training instructor and president of the Bucharest-Ilfov Association of Family Physicians) and Dr. Cosmina Berbecel (primary family physician, member of the Vaccinology group of the National Society of Family Medicine.).
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Dr. Cosmina Berbecel: “I noticed an increase in interest”
In an interview given to our publication, Dr. Cosmina Berbecel explained how the anti-HPV vaccination has evolved in Romania, why it is important for men to get vaccinated, but also how the communication in the office proceeds on the topic of immunization. “We have recently noticed an increase in interest in anti-HPV vaccination, both among parents with children eligible for vaccination, and among adults, for individual protection“, says the doctor.
The truth: Why is the HPV vaccine important?
Dr. Cosmina Berbecel: The HPV vaccine is one of the most important and effective protective tools, and the reason why it is considered as such is a very simple one: it is a vaccine created to prevent some forms of cancer.
The HPV virus is responsible for the vast majority of cervical cancer cases. We are talking about a form of cancer with which nine women are diagnosed daily in Romania and because of which, every day, five women in Romania lose their fight. But the HPV virus is not only responsible for cervical cancer, but also for other forms of cancer: anal, penile, vaginal and vulvar, oropharyngeal cancers (tonsils, tongue, oropharynx). The HPV virus also produces genital warts (extremely unpleasant and difficult to treat), as well as precancerous lesions that often require invasive surgery.
Numerous clinical studies, conducted over 20 years since it was put on the market, have shown that the vaccine is extremely safe. And in countries that have implemented effective national vaccination programs (the best-known example is Australia), rates of infection and precancerous lesions have fallen by more than 90%. Globally, there are more than 500 million doses of the HPV vaccine administered and it is a vaccine included in the national vaccination programs of about 170 countries.
The truth: How does the anti-HPV vaccination work in Romania?
Dr. Cosmina Berbecel: According to the latest report published by INSP (National Institute of Public Health), between 2020 and 2024, a number of 22,4260 people received at least one dose of the HPV vaccine. Their average age was 17.5 years and most scheme initiations were in 2024.
As a brief recent history of antiHPV vaccination in Romania, I would mention the fact that the actual vaccination started again in 2020, but the simplification of the vaccine purchase mechanism on December 1, 2023 – that is, its purchase directly from the pharmacy based on the compensated prescription issued by the doctor – made a large number of eligible people able to access this vaccine. We are still at a low vaccination coverage rate, but it is clear that the implementation of the vaccine compensation mechanism has significantly increased the uptake rate of the HPV vaccine.
The truth: What did you notice in the cabinet? Is it difficult or relatively easy to convince patients to get the vaccine?
Dr. Cosmina Berbecel: My patients are used to me talking about prevention in general, and prevention through vaccination in particular. I approach the subject of vaccination protection whenever I have a patient in the office who is eligible for this method of prevention. I encourage my patients to talk to me about their fears on this subject, where they still exist, and together we try to reach the best decision for them. Even though sometimes this may require repeated discussions.
However, we have recently noticed an increase in interest in anti-HPV vaccination, both among parents with children eligible for vaccination, and among adults, for individual protection.
The truth: We know that the vaccine is most effective if given in childhood, before exposure to the virus. Are parents open to HPV vaccination? Are there gender differences? Are more girls or boys getting vaccinated?
Dr. Cosmina Berbecel: Indeed, the effectiveness of the HPV vaccine is maximum if it is administered before exposure to the virus. The vaccine basically works like a seat belt: you put it on before you start the car, not at the time of the accident. And studies have also shown that the immune response is stronger and longer lasting if the vaccine is administered between 11-14 years of age.
It is not difficult for me to convince parents to protect their children, including against HPV infection, because both I and each of the parents in question have the same ultimate goal: the good of the child.
Sometimes, however, they can be overwhelmed by information, some contradictory, others not quite correctly understood. My role, as a doctor involved in prevention, is to be by their side, to clarify their fears, to explain aspects that are not fully understood, to help them make the best decisions regarding the health of their children.
Lately, I am happy to note that there are more and more parents who agree to protect their children from HPV infection by vaccination. And although some of the parents of boys are initially surprised that their child also needs protection, after I explain to them why we make this recommendation, the final decision of the majority goes towards accepting the vaccination.
At the moment there are more girls who are vaccinated and it is logical that it should be so, because it is easier to understand and accept the need for protection in this category, but in the last two years more and more parents of boys have chosen to vaccinate their children.
The truth: A few years ago there were rumors of fertility impairment that could worry parents. What do you convey to them?
Dr. Cosmina Berbecel: This is one of the classic myths of people campaigning against vaccination, and as we know, not only the HPV vaccine has been a “victim” of this misinformation. The topic still stirs up a lot of emotions, rightly so: any parent or young person wants to make sure that the health decisions of this moment do not affect their future.
I tell parents who express such concerns exactly what the studies say: that the HPV vaccine does not cause infertility. And that the real danger to fertility is the HPV virus, through its consequences: a possible cervical cancer can lead to the inability of the uterus and, implicitly, to infertility. And treatments for precancerous lesions caused by HPV (eg conization) can weaken the cervix, leading to pregnancy complications.
Additionally, in men, there are studies showing that active HPV infection can affect sperm quality and motility.
“More and more men are choosing to get vaccinated”
The truth: Vaccination remains recommended even after the start of sexual life.
Dr. Cosmina Berbecel: Indeed, vaccination is also recommended after starting sexual life. Because it can prevent infection with several strains of the HPV virus and studies have shown that vaccination can also be effective in eliminating infections already in the body (for the strains in the vaccine).
The truth: Do men also come to get vaccinated? Why is it important to do it?
Dr. Cosmina Berbecel: More and more men come to find out and choose to be vaccinated against HPV, even if after the age of 27 they pay in full for the three doses of the vaccine.
And it is very good that they do it, and it is extremely important that they do it, because, in men, the lack of routine screening (early detection) programs leads to delayed detection and late detection of HPV infection, in advanced stages of the disease, when implicitly therapeutic modalities are limited and complications are the rule.
In addition, studies have shown that seroconversion rates are lower in men. This means that a small percentage of men manage to cure themselves of the HPV virus infection.
Also, in Romania, antiHPV vaccine coverage is still low among the female population. This means that the chances of meeting an unvaccinated partner are high. So it is important to vaccinate both boys and men, primarily for their own protection against some forms of cancer and against condylomatosis.
